Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-01-10

ing streams over anv building on the street.
At the elevation Of 1925 feet the reservoir con.
tai over 6 200, 0c0 gallons, v lille the twelve
inch pipe thar supplvs it will deliver that and
the cap getty of the pumps besides IN less than
"a hours, if required
Sixty three Of the so hydrants contracted
for have been erected and were turned over
to the city at the meeting of the City Gov.
eminent Friday evenir g
The Hydrants
on Water street are all "nnzzle" hy,Irants,
with three or four spertur~s. There are
twelve private hvdrsnts in all, the Edwards
Mfg. Co owning7; State House, 3; Sturpis.
Lambsrd & Co., l.; Insane Hospital, l. The
hydrants are of the Cha pman pattern, " hich is
deemed one of the best. Several Of the
hvdrants on Water street are handsomely
ornamented.
The entire pipe laying and erection of the
hydrants has been under the supervision of
Mr.. Ephraim Over.
The Company have Laid
$3.50 feet of IL zach pipe, l443 feet of 10 inch
pipe, 1888 feet of incl pipe, 34,24S feet
of inch pipe, 9,6l6 feet Of inch pipe, and
295 feet of inch pipe. The total amount
OF pipe laid 10 about twelve mlles.. The
IRON pipe is from tine mandatory of X. ID.
Wood & Co. of Philadelphia and is prevent
ed from rusting through process by which
tar is introduced into the pores of the iron
under a high temperature. he depth of the
mains below the surface 10 FIVE feet and .
half and is thus below the frost. There are
g ites At each end Of the bridge and the 10
inch main which crosses can be
emptisd at any time. G,tes ara
placed in the pipe that the water can be shut
off from certain sections and streets when
necessary. The streets running from Bridge
street are all equipped with gates. The pipe
is all tested at y pressure of 800 pounds to
the square inch, and, in fact, the entire pump
ing main has that strength. As many As 1870
men have been employed on the pipe
laying crew at one time.
A Filtering House
has been erected Consuming some ninety
thousand bricks; nearly six y thousand of
them we're laid during nights and Sundays
The house contains two circular wells in
which is filter material sixteen inches thick
lying on perforated copper plate, beneath
which 10 = chamber receiving the filtered
water in its course to the pumping we'll, sur.
rounding the circular ones, or tilterers. Tho
water while filteripg passes in the circular
well above the filter bed, then down through
and out into the pumping we'll, and taken
from there and throa to the reservoir. To
cleanse the filters, the filtered water is com
PEELED by system of gates to pass up and
through the filter bed Washing out all sedi
ment, and 10 then taken by pump erected
for that purpose, and thrown away. This
process of cleansing continues until the water
becomes clear. The fiitering beds consist
of selected gravel Of different grades thor
oughly washed before placed in position, and
was obtained at the gravel bank at Cumber
land Mills. THE class of fittrers is now
working at the Cumberland Paper Mills, the
company filtering twelve million gallons per
day, twice the consumption of the city Of
Portland.
The Pumps
were manufactured by II. ID. Wood 4 Co. Of
Philadelphia and invented by A. Geyeliu, .
member of the firm. They required 40 tons
of pig iron in their manufacture and are cspa-
bic Of pumping 1900, 900 gallons in "a hours
under an elevation of 800 feet with perfect
ease. The cylinders or valve chests are
about five feet long, each has So brass valves,
3 inches in diameter. These cylinders are
the heaviest things about the pumps. They
weigh about 10, 700 bs.each, are double acting,
pumping both ways of the stroke, which is -
inch pipe. The large gear wheel weighs H.
600 pounds and - SO inches in diameter.
The running movement Of the pump 10 25
strokes per mlnule, being capable of pumping
against u pressure of 100 pounds to the
square inch, and they lift tons of water Ut
every stroke. The IL inch column OF water
in the pumping main travels At the rate Of
three feet per second. A sudden stoppage of
this rate of travelling at any point, produces
a blow or water hammer at that poiut which
sometimes causes double the pressure of the
weight of water and Decessitates . heavy
weight of pipe as is called for in works
where reservoir has go high an elevation.
The pumps are erected on the Edwards
Mtg Co.'S canal and were first put in opera
ton at 4 2. M, Dec 81, since when they
have been at work nights and Sundays
Some two weeks previous the small pnmp
of the company located at the west end of
the railroad bridge began pumping into the
mains and later on it was reinforced by the
Edwards Mtg Co.'S pump, SO that the new
pump found several feet of water in the res
ervoir.
The Turbine Wheel,
which drives the pumps i, ~ inch
es in diameter, 175 horse pow
er. 1t i, equipped with 80 phosphur
bronze buckets.
Quite large amount of
Service Pipe
was laid but the season was so late that 1t
was imprscticable to do very much in this d.
rection.
The first blow on the new works was struck
by the trenching crew in front of the mill of
fce July %, and work practically ceased
Dec. II. Over 700 different men were en-
ployed. Six carpenters have been kept con-
stantly at work.
The entire works have been under the
charge of Mr.. E. B. Cummings. of the firm
of Ilsley & Cummings, Portland AS engineer,
who is one of the
Most Successful
and accomplished engineers in New England
The pipe has been distributed on both sides
of the river, and crosses the river on the Ken
nebec bridge. Under the re-organiz alton of
the company Hon. J. X. Bodwell, Mr.. Oscar
Holway and Mr.. ID. A. Cony of this city,
were elected directors, and Mr.. Bodwell was
elected president. The company entered in
to a contract wit. Mr.. George P Wescott,
and MIR. J. II. Msnley of this city, to con-
struct the works; and the
Business Management
of operations has been entirely under the
control and direction jointly of these two
gentlemen, the latter giving his valuable
personal supervision. The works have cost
a much larger sum than many of our citizens
but the work has been most
done, and when the construction